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7 A:Could you pass the salt please? B:Could you give me £100 please? A’s request doesn’t need mitigation B’s request is inappropriate because it is more imposing and needs more mitigation

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8 It’s very windy here. I’m very sorry but I wonder if you could move over a bit? Could you move over please? Can we move please? Please move Move! The more polite you are, the more you risk losing the message

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9 Oh, sorry. I heard voices and I wondered who it was. Please could you stop talking I’m trying to work Hey, I’ve got an exam to study for. Is there somewhere else you could talk? Shut up, will you? The level of politeness used in an utterance depends on the role of the person you are talking to and the power relations that exist between speaker and hearer

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10 “This food is delicious” If you have cooked the meal, which is the most appropriate response? - yes, it is - I’m afraid it’s a bit overcooked - I’m glad you like it Why do we respond in this way?

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11 Catch-22 situation If you do not agree with them you are threatening their positive face

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12 Speaker support Speakers usually work together to help and reassure each other. This is called speaker support. It is important to recognise the techniques used in a conversation for speaker support (e.g. for showing agreement, for checking understanding

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13 Politeness Sometimes a speaker’s role gives them the authority to challenge others. Presenting a challenge to someone is difficult but there are various politeness techniques which help us to do it (see summary)

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14 Types of politeness A speaker can also imply respect for the hearer’s value system and membership of the same group POSITIVE POLITENESS Show interest in hearer Claim common ground with hearer Seek agreement Give sympathy NEGATIVE POLITENESS Be conventionally indirect Minimise imposition on hearer Ask for forgiveness Give deference

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15 The concept of “face” (Brown and Levinson) B and L (looking at politeness in different cultures) suggest that we must acknowledge the face of other people if we want to enter into social relationships with them. Talk may be a face-threatening act which may damage negative face and positive face

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16 Positive face = wanting to be liked and approved of Positive face is “I have a value system that I do not want challenged” Disagreeing with another person threatens their positive face If you want not to threaten positive face you should show interest and seek agreement Thanking another person does not threaten another person’s positive face

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17 Negative face “don’t tell me what to do”. “I want to be free” Negative face is “I do not like to be imposed on” Telling someone what to do threatens their negative face

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18 Being polite The more politeness we use in our speech, the more indirect we are. The advantage of using politeness terms is that there is no threat to face. The disadvantage is that a polite message might be so indirect that it doesn’t come across (“it’s very windy here”)

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23 Markers of respect Inclusive pronouns - we, us Similar vocabulary, dialect, colloquial language Pseudo-agreement - (Would you like to come to my house? Well, I’d love to another time) This avoids saying no or disagreeing with a speaker